EPA praises progress on cleaner air amid regulatory rollback

WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is praising significant improvements in air quality, even as he moves to roll back regulations aimed at making further gains.

EPA released its report Wednesday showing air-pollution trends in the United States. It shows that in the 45 years between the passage of the Clean Air Act and the end of 2016, emissions of six harmful pollutants declined by a combined 73 per cent.

Still, nearly 40 per cent of Americans live in areas that fail to meet federal air quality standards. Pruitt says that despite the progress made, “there is more work to be done.”

Since his appointment earlier this year, Pruitt has moved to block or delay several Obama-era regulations aimed at reducing pollutants caused by burning fossil fuels.